The present invention relates to a skin contact material for positioning against a human or animal skin and in particular, although not exclusively, to a material suitable for ostomy use, wound care and as a medical dressing and adhesive.
Self-adhering skin contact materials find widespread use in the medical field and in particular with ostomy appliances. Initially, medical grade pressure-sensitive adhesives, typically formed from an acrylic, were used to adhere appliances to the peristomal skin of a patient. More recently, moisture absorbing, and in particular hydrocolloid containing, skin barrier materials have emerged as more suitable skin contact materials. These materials absorb moisture from the skin and allow the skin to breathe whilst being sufficiently tacky for good skin adhesion but being easily peeled away without irritating or damaging the skin.
Skin friendly adhesive barrier materials are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,546; U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,325; U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,257 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,748.
However, hydrocolloid based substrates may not possess the required adhesive characteristics for certain skin contact applications and an additional adhesive may be required. The problem with medical grade adhesives is that they tend to be skin irritants following extended use. In particular, and as a generalisation, they do not allow the same level of moisture transfer with the skin.
What is required therefore is a medical grade skin contact material for use as a barrier layer and/or a means of attaching appliances to the skin that comprise the required adhesive properties whilst allowing moisture transfer with the skin.
Accordingly, the inventors provide a substrate based skin contact material preferably formed from a hydrocolloid having a silicone based adhesive component extending over regions of the substrate surface. The adhesive is formed non-continuously over the hydrocolloid so as to provide areas of the hydrocolloid that are devoid of the silicone adhesive. Accordingly, with the material in contact with the skin, adhesion is provided via the silicone adhesive whilst the areas of exposed hydrocolloid are capable of moisture transfer so as to significantly improve the skin friendliness of the material during use and allow the material to be readily removed from the skin without causing irritation.